Infinite Space
by HobbitBomb
Summary: The events of this story are not thought up, they are played out using DrkTemplar's Infinite Space Mod. All events will be recorded directly as they happened with any details supplied by the author. Follow The Nomad and her crew as the plunge ever deeper into the infinite beauty of the great unknown.
1. A Basic Introduction

So about this story…

Listen, we all love FTL. Oh yes it pisses us of greatly, and we can never beat that damn flagship, but we love it so much we just can't stop playing. However, on the off chance that we do make it through all the hell that is thrust upon us, and by some miraculous turn of events defeat the damned rebels, the game is over, gone along with all our hard works. We wish that there was some sort of closure for all our efforts, some sort of continuation.

No longer can you be plagued by this terminal ending. Thanks to a wonderful modder by the name of DrkTemplar we are no longer shackled by this fear of an end or the constant pursuit of the rebels. Now we are able to command our own ship in the endless universe as we see fit. Onward Capitan, into Infinite Space.

This story revolves around this endless opportunity, following the outdated Krestral Class ship, The Nomad. The events of this story are not scripted, not planned. They follow the exact events as they occur in the events of Infinite Space. The reactions between characters and the emotions they display are all created by me. As the story is beyond my own control, characters may die and the ship may even be destroyed. Expect no happy ending. Only the truth of the final ending that all who venture out into the black recesses of space must stare in the face.


	2. The Nomad

Chapter 1: The Nomad

* * *

A fool, they had called him. Mocked and ridiculed his dream. What wealth was there in space? What glory? The once great federation had fallen apart during the time of the rebellion. While still coming out victorious, it was disconnected and weak, leaving the great vastness of the galaxy into a breeding ground for pirates and a brought the slug and mantis empires into great power. The great and noble adventures of the past were long since gone. While trading outpost were still functional on most planets and their moons, the emptiness of space belonged solely to the wicked.

But when he looked upon the great vessel, all his fears disappeared. Running a hand through the brown mess atop his head, Freeman looked upon the beauty in front of him. A glorious machine. While outdated, the Krestral class ship was once the Federation's finest vessels. The sleek design and functionality made it the primary vessel for any aspiring Capitan, and this one was now all his.

Since childhood, Freeman had looked up to the stars and dreamed of traveling beyond them, far into the blackness of space. He had worked since the conception of this dream to bring it into reality. When he looked upon the Krestral Cruiser before him, he knew that it was time for him to make his dream into a reality.

"Come on human, you got the credits or what?" Freeman was snapped out of his daydream. The Rock standing behind him glowered at him impatiently.

"Oh yes sir, of course!" Freeman proclaimed apologetically.

" Sir?" The Rock chuckled, "You sure you want to go to space human. It doesn't seem to be your kind of place."

"I'm sure of it" he said as he reluctantly handed over the large sum of credits. Noticing the apparent hesitation the Rock spoke up.

"This money isn't going to be any good off world, you know that."

"What do you mean?"

"You really don't know?" The Rock said with minor surprise. "Back when the federation still had any control, this would have been a valid tender, but nowadays the only thing of any value is scrap."

"Scrap?" Freeman said in disbelief.

"Yeah. It's the only useful thing. Fixes hull leaks, builds upgrades, and every merchant you find is going to demand it as payment." The Rock chuckled. "You can leave you're federation credits behind you."

"I'm guessing you want me to leave them with you?" Freeman chided.

"Hey, there's no harm in trying. " The Rock gestured defensively. "But don't you think you're going to need a few others to fly this boat?"

"I've got a crew. And they should have been here half an hour ago when I was still inspecting the ship."

The Rock slumped back down behind his desk. "You need a loyal crew human. Just one irresponsible member, and you might find yourself dead. Space is an unforgiving mistress."

The old Rock's words struck a chord within Freeman, what was he signing away. His entire life here was about to end. No longer would he have the comfort of a support net, no web of relationships. For the rest of his life, all that separated him from suffocating in the cold void was a metal shell. He was signing a way his life to chase some old childhood dream. A sturdy hand shocked him out of his reflection and he turned to find himself staring the old Rock in his pitch black coal eyes.

"Space is an unforgiving mistress human, but what a sweet lover she still makes." The eyes of the sentient stone sparkled with a delight long gone, memories of a better time. For an instant, Freeman saw past the rock exterior and into the soul of the old Rock.

"Now!" said the Rock abruptly. "Even an old boat deserves a name." He turned Freeman around and pointed him towards the ship. "Give her one."

"Nomad" He said in a whisper. "Her name is Nomad"

"The Nomad, huh?" The Rock chuckled. "Well The Nomad won't be getting very far if she doesn't have anyone aboard. Call up your boys and I'll see what I can do about getting this ship out of orbit."

Heading the advice of the old Rock, Freeman climbed aboard the ship. Opening up the starboard air lock, he climbed aboard. Looking around, Freeman noticed what a true relic the ship was. The floors were coated in a hearty layer of dust and it seemed uninhabitable. He quickly ducked into what seemed to be a break room, but it was so filthy and devoid of any decoration it was hard to tell. Upon spotting the food synthesizers along the side of the wall he knew it was. Pulling back the control panel next to the synthesizers he tried to check to protein levels but found that the console was inactive.

Standing up, Freeman left the break room and headed into the main corridor aboard the ship. Taking note of the cargo bay and the crew's quarters, and all the ships inactive combat systems, he made his way to the bridge, looking to find a switch or something to reenergize the vessel. Stumbling up into the bridge he looked around, finding what seemed like the pilots chair.

"Shit!" Freeman exclaimed as he sat himself down, coughing as he was enveloped in a cloud of dust. As the cloud passed and he regained his breath, Freeman dusted off the console in front of him and began searching for a general power button. Spotting they ignition, he stuck the ships key in and the bridge slowly began to power up after years of inactivity. One of the screens on the console in front of him brought up a basic power map. After analyzing and discovering its controls, he channeled some of the ships minimal power supply into starting up the life support in hopes it would clear out all the dust.

As the life support began its task, Freeman pivoted himself in the chair, watching slowly as more lights began to flicker on along the hallway leading up to the bridge. He pressed a button on his wrist communicator and dialed in his friend's access code.

"Yo! Freeman! Why are you calling?" a voice crackled in from the communicator.

"You damn well know why I'm calling Wilson, and from now on, it's Captain Freeman." Freeman said as he leaned back in his chair.

"Wait, you already bought the boat? I thought you were waiting 'till Hannah and I got there!"  
"You and Hannah were supposed to be here 45 minutes ago!"

"Sorry man! I just came back from Axys! I forgot to set my clock back to Caprica time. Hannah was already pissed when I came late to pick her up."

"Oh, so you actually are coming?" Freeman said, smiling at the predictable forgetfulness of his close companion.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," came Wilson's voice from the communicator.

"Oh, and Wilson," Freeman chuckled. "One last thing"

"What is it man?"

"It's Captain from now on"

Freeman ended the transmission before his friend had a chance for a rebuttal. The two had always been like that, joking around and poking at each other's nerves. Freeman's dream had rubbed off on Wilson back in the early days of their youth, and the two boys made a vow to explore the stars together. It was only a dream back then, but now it was all finally coming to fruition.

Heading back down the ships lone narrow hallway and took a turn and climbed back out the airlock. The old Rock was busy tending to the records for Freeman's purchase so he decided not to bother him. Leaning up against the side of the ship, he didn't have to wait long before he saw a cruiser pull into the lot. And two familiar faces hop out.

"Captain Freeman. I don't think I can ever get used to calling you that" Jested the raven haired trouble maker.

"Too bad" Said a blond haired girl as she climbed out of the other side of the cruiser. "I kind of like it."

"Come on Hannah," Wilson began, "Don't give him that satisfaction. It going to go straight to his head."

"Going to?" She rebutted, "I'd say it already has. Now, Captain Freeman, I assume you've already given a name to this beautiful vessel?"

"Her name is Nomad" he responded. "And together we're going to wander endlessly amongst the stars."

"Shit dude, I wanted to name it something cool, like Crusher, or World Eater." Wilson chimed it. "Nomad is just too deep for me."

"Too bad. I'm the Captain and my word is law now"

"You best not start abusing this power Freeman."

"Call me Captain or I'll have you thrown in the brig." After that Wilson straightened up.

"We have a brig?" He said with a smile on his face. Freeman laughed at his friend's foolishness.

"No, dumbass. But if you want to find out what lies inside this boat, I suggest you come with me and start looking around." Wilson and Hannah both shrugged and climbed aboard The Nomad. Leading them down the central hallway he gestured towards the break room and crew's quarters, Hannah was quick to pick up on a very large problem.

"Captain, we can't leave Caprica with a ship full of dust, it's unsanitary." She pointed out. "We need to vent this whole ship before we go."

"I turned on life support, isn't that enough?" Freeman asked.

"The life support systems will just generate breathable air, regulate gravity, and maintain a livable temperature. They won't actually clean the ship. We need to open up the circulation system and vent all the air in the ship outside. Once we leave the planet, any further cleaning has to be done manually."

"Can't we just buy a cleaning drone or something?" Wilson complained. "Cleaning is no job for brave adventurer's like ourselves."

"It's very important that we do continue doing some form of labor, even as simple as getting up to clean. You have no idea how lazy people can get on a starship."

"Thanks for the advice Hannah," Freeman said. "Sorry Wilson, no cleaning drone." Wilson shrugged in defeat. "Now Hannah, start looking around the ship and take an inventory of everything already onboard and all systems. Wilson, you're the big strong Ex-Fed. I want you to unload all the supplies you brought and put them away in the cargo bay."

"Just because I served one tour after the rebel attack doesn't mean I'm some grunt for manual labor."

"Yes you are." Hannah chided, "Now get your ass down there and start loading up this boat." Wilson grumbled as he moved off and Hannah turned back to Freeman. "We can whip that insubordination out of him latter, all you have to do is threaten to put him out an airlock." And on that note she turned sharply about her heel and walked away towards the ships shield controls.

Freeman looked after her as he watched her go. He looked back on the first time they had met. Four years ago when Wilson had just returned from the Federation, he had taken Freeman down to the landing pad to show him the refuges that he had "Personally saved" as they were being unloaded back onto Caprica. When the two of them first saw Hannah, their 21 year old hormones went into a frenzy, each claiming he had the rights to try and date her first. But as time passed they began to see this girl more and more and they realized that neither wanted to date her, but to become the closest of friends, and have her forever by their sides.

Freeman smiled as Hannah turned the corner and disappeared from view. He himself headed back to the bridge. Sitting back down into the Captain's chair he swiveled to face the power grid. He directed the power from the battery stores and began powering up the ships systems. He directed some of the energy stores into the shield controls and the reserves to the engines and medical bay. Freeman decided to leave some of the ships power in the battery stores instead of unnecessarily powering up the weapon stores.

Once all crucial parts of the ship had come online, Freeman opened up the cargo bay doors, allowing Wilson to begin the hard job of loading all their supplies while he remained comfortable up in the bridge.

* * *

Wilson grunted as he saw the cargo bay doors lower and began to heft the crates of supplies onboard the ship. It was grueling work and he hated it, but Hannah's comment on manual labor had meant something to him. If he didn't want to lose his body sculpted by the Federations rigorous training regimen, he would have to keep up the manual labor.

When they were just children, he and Freeman would talk about their dreams to travel into space. They would talk for hours about what they would name their ship and how they would be adventurers. Or was it pirates? Wilson laughed; they probably had talked about being both. As he hefted the crate up the ramp into the cargo bay, he wondered to himself why Freeman had never joined the Federation. For such a space enthusiast as he was, never to join the Federation was crazy. With the exploration possibilities that the Federation offered, it was madness not to join.

Could he of been a Rebel supporter? Wilson pushed this thought to the back of his mind. The thought was ridiculous. The Rebels were violent and beyond control, surely Freeman was opposed to their ideas, but why not side with the Federation? Wilson grunted as he lifted the next crate onto the starship. The work was tiring but he knew it needed to be done. Later he could interrogate the "Captain" about his decision not to go into the Federation Space Academy.

* * *

Hannah gave the systems a final look over before deciding her calibrations had been accurate. The ship possessed only a minor shield, fit to stop small laser fire before giving out. She would have to report that to Freeman, knowing him the ship would take its fair share of beatings. She marked down the operational function of the ships shields in The Nomad's console before heading out of defensive control and to the break room.

Immediately she was appalled by the absolute lack of any human comforts in the break room. Seeing only bleak tables and chairs, void of any decoration. Walking over to the food processing console along the side of the room she noticed Freeman's own handprint marking the control station. She rested her own palm inside the mark made by his and thought of simpler times.

When Hanna first met Freeman, her heart did a little flutter, but there was no way in hell that she would tell him that now. It would give him another way to torment Wilson, and even though she loved watching the two friends bicker, she didn't want to reignite any old rivalries. No she was his friend now, and just his friend she would remain. The three of them developed a close friendship during their time together, Hannah telling her enchanting stories of her life aboard the many ships within the fleet. She had been born in space, lived in space, and if not for the Rebel attack she would of died in space.

She remembered so clearly. She was only 19 at the time and terrified. Some Rebel ship had been terrorizing her fleet for months, and when that Federation starship had jumped into contact and opened fire. When she saw those federation markings she felt so safe, but as she watched some of the ships around her get destroyed in the cross fire, the safety she had felt in space disappeared. When her ship and the few that survived the catastrophic encounter were escorted to Caprica, her first steps onto a planet were not ones of a new beginning, but of an immeasurable fear.

When she first encountered the two 21 year old buffoons, she had no idea that Wilson had served aboard the very starship that had saved her ship. When Hannah discovered that this imbecilic man had managed to shoot down a stray missile fired from the Federation ship preventing it from hitting her own, she felt a great deal of admiration towards him. It was in that instant that she realized the Federation wasn't all that bad, and decided to become friends with the two clowns, regaling them with her tails of space life.

Hannah shook herself free from her memories. She hadn't been back up to the stars since that day, and now was her big chance to prove that she was a far better wayfarer than the two boys could ever be. Hannah hunched over the synthesis console and began the upload of the protein cells that Wilson had offloaded into the cargo bay.

* * *

Freeman was startled by a sudden ring on the console. He pivoted his chair around. Noticing the glowing icon on the console, he pressed it and another screen flickered to life. On it he could see a projection of Wilsons face.

"Oh Captain, my Captain." Wilson said. "It looks like I figured out how to work the ship's communicator before you."

"Didn't you fly in a Krestral ship in the Federation. Shouldn't you already know how to work the communication system?" Freeman replied

"Well…that's not… shut up" Wilson replied, embarrassed at how quickly Freeman had seen through his ruse. "I was calling in to tell you that all the cargo has been boarded but I think we underestimated the amount of Tyllium that we're going to need to go off world."

"What?" Freeman responded in surprise, "You and I both triple checked those figures. We should of brought enough for 10 jumps at the least!"

"Sorry man, but I checked out the engines this thing runs on, and they are worn down and are gonna drain twice as much Tyllium per jump. It's not pretty, I know, but it's the honest truth." Wilson responded, a saddened look in his eye. Just then another screen light up, revealing Hannah in the weapons room.

"I heard everything," she said. "But if we can leave within the hour, we will be close enough to one of the orbital Caprican space stations that we will have the opportunity to look for an engineer to fix this problem. At the very least we can use the last of our funds to buy some more Tyllium. That space station is probably the last place we're going to see that accepts Federation credits for a very long time."

"All right. I'll go talk to that old Rock man and see how soon we can have this boat in the air. Freeman out." And with that he closed the bridge communication line, leaving the his two friends to their own devices.


	3. Up, Up, and Away

Chapter 2: Up, Up, and Away

* * *

Freeman walked down the central hallway of The Nomad and swiftly turned as he came to the starboard airlock. Maneuvering his way through the small hatch, he stepped off his ship and back onto the ground. Freeman looked around for the cantankerous old Rock that had sold him the vessel and spotted him sorting the hefty sum of Federation credits that Freeman had paid him with. Freeman walked over to the desk the Rock was sitting behind. As he approached, the old Rock looked up at him with a toothy grin.

"I trust everything is to your liking human." The Rock said.

"Apart from the dust and the worn out engine, everything looks in working order. Why didn't you tell me the engine was so old! It can barely get us out of orbit!" Freeman said.

"I'm a starship dealer. What did you expect? I'm surprised you even took the sale without questioning about the machinery." The Rock said with a devious smile. Freeman opened his mouth to protest this blatant trick but the Rock quickly interrupted, "No refunds!" Freeman snapped his mouth shut as the Rock had taken the words right off his tongue. The Rock turned away, "Now human, are you going to complain some more or will you be getting back to your starship?"

"That is what I actually wanted to talk about," Freeman said leaning up against the Rock's desk. "I have my ship, my supplies, and my crew. The way I see it, it's about time I get off this planet. What good is a starship if she stays grounded?"

"I see, eager to spread your wings and fly. I've got a launch pad out back, let me go start up the lift and we will have your shuttle prepped for launch in no time."

"All right," Freeman straightened up with a smile on his face. "I'll be on the bridge coordinating things from there."

"Good, good. Make sure your crew is prepared for the launch, it's always a rough experience." And with that, the Rock stood up and walked through a door to what Freeman assumed to be his personal office and lift controls. Turning on his heels, Freeman walked back to The Nomad's airlock and climbed aboard. He shut the lock behind him, double checking that it was sealed completely. One single crack and the entire ship could depressurize if they were not careful. After he was positive it was tightly shut, he walked out of the airlock and into the ships main hallway. Pressing a button on the ships intercom located along the wall he called out to his two hopefully competent crew members.

"Wilson, Hannah, this is the Captain. I talked with the Rock and he's prepping us for launch. I need the two of you go double check all the airlocks and the cargo bay doors. We can't risk the ship decompressing on our first launch." He spoke into the intercom.

"Lighten up man. Who are you putting the Captain act on for, Hannah and I both know you too well to respect that," came Wilson's mocking voice through the intercom's speakers. Freeman was just about to make a witty comeback when he heard Hannah's slightly quieter voice.

"Just let him have his fun Wilson. You would be doing the exact same thing if you were in his position" Freeman smiled as he heard Wilson sigh in defeat.

"I don't know if you heard Hannah or not but she's right, as always. I'll go check the cargo bay doors; Hannah can check the other airlocks."

"Hey!" Hannah's voice came through again. "Who the hell made you first mate?"

"I thought it was self-explanatory, I've known Freeman the longest so I get to be first mate, right _Captain_?"

"Sorry Hannah, but he has a point." Freeman chuckled, "Wilson has been following me in my plan to journey to space since we were young, he deserves the position."

"Hear that Hannah? I'm first mate and I say go check the airlocks!"

"Aye aye, sir!" Hannah's fake enthusiasm came through the intercom.

"Now don't let this new power get to your head," Freeman told his old friend.

"Wouldn't dream of it Captain." Wilsons replied.

"You had better not. Freeman out." Freeman said as he clicked off the intercom. He turned to face the bridge and made the short walk up to his station. When he arrived, he sat down in his chair and swiveled to the communication array. Searching for any nearby off-ship frequencies he was able to locate what he thought to be the lift communication system. He opened hailing frequencies and began an attempt to make contact.

"Took you long enough," came the Rock's gravelly voice over the communicator. "I started to think you just wanted to sit here on Caprica, pretending you were a real starship Captain."

"I had to settle a little dispute over who got to be the first mate, I know it seems juvenile and all but-"

"Juvenile?" The Rock cut Freeman off, "It's the farthest thing from it. Better you set things straight now before you have a command conflict during a crucial situation. The chain of command is very important, don't forget that."

"I won't," Freeman promised. "How long until we can move the ship to the launch pad?"

"As soon as you give the word. I would advise you to hold on to something though, it can get a bit chaotic."

"Duly noted," Freeman said before quickly switching on the intercom. "Wilson, Hannah, hold on to something." Flicking the ship's intercom off, Freeman once again addressed the Rock.

"Do it."

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, there was a tremendous jolt as the entire starship was lifted up off the ground and into the air. Freeman nearly tumbled out of his chair, barely managing to grab onto one of its arms to stabilize himself. The Rock's gritty laugh came in over the communicator.

"Bet that threw you around a little! My coordination isn't as good as it once was, but don't worry. I'll get you to the launch pad in one piece." Freeman knew the Rock's words were meant to be encouraging, but all they did was make him a tad more anxious.

"What the hell is that Rock doing?" Wilson chimed in over the intercom. "I've seen sacks of potatoes handled with more care than this!"

"Just calm down Wilson" Freeman replied. "He knows what he's doing" Another jolt toppled Freeman completely out of his chair this time.

'I hope!' He thought to himself. Wilson simply sighed and switched the intercom off as Freeman climbed back up and sat himself back in the chair. Freeman looked out the window ahead of him and was astonished to see the ground slowly dipping down as The Nomad turned to face the sky. Freaking out at first, Freeman remembered that the life support systems also supplied their own artificial gravity aboard the ship. The ship slowly turned itself vertical before coming to a stop. His dream felt closer than ever, and as Freeman looked towards the bright blue sky he could almost reach out and grab on to the dream that had kept him going since youth. He stared at the beautiful view for a moment longer before switching on the intercom.

"Hannah, when do we need to be in optimal range of that orbital station you had mentioned?" he asked. For a moment he heard nothing but the distinct sound of another intercom station switching on alerted him to Hannah's arrival.

"The sooner the better. We've already passed our optimal launch time, but if we go ahead and launch we will be able to travel at sub-light speed and arrive shortly enough." She responded.

"Understood," Freeman replied. "I want you and Wilson to come up here. I want us to be together when we launch."

"Aye aye Captain," came her reply. Her intercom switched off and not a second later another was switched on.

"I heard what you said Freeman," Wilson called in over the intercom. "I'm down in the cargo bay at the moment but I'll hurry up. Try to delay that Rock for as long as you can."

"Can do" Freeman responded before shutting off his intercom. He opened up the hailing frequencies to the Rock once more, just as Hannah walked into the bridge.

"I assume everything is ready for launch." Freeman said to the Rock.

"The board is green, just waiting on your go ahead to start the countdown." The old Rock replied. "As soon as you give the word, you have 60 seconds before you're on your own."

"I understand" Freeman said, "And I want to thank you for all the help you've been"

"Don't worry about it human. This is my job"

"No, it means a lot to me." Freeman told the Rock, "Owning my own starship has been a dream since childhood. A dream you've just made come true."

"Let's cut the emotional nonsense and get this boat in the air." Wilson announced as he stepped into the bridge.

"Everyone is here" Freeman said, "go ahead and begin countdown"

"Preparing to launch The Starship Nomad." The Rock spoke over the communication array. "Beginning 60 second countdown." Freeman swiveled in his chair to face his two friends. The looks on their faces were ones of glory, of bravery, of success. He wanted to remember this instant forever, and he doubted such a memory would ever be forgotten.

"Gentlemen," Freeman said in a mockingly formal tone, "today we travel to the stars!" He raised an imaginary glass. "I say this deserves a toast!" Hannah and Wilson laughed at his foolishness and made the same gesture themselves.

"Well Captain," Hannah chimed, "What shall we toast to?"

"Isn't it obvious? We toast to the most beautiful thing ever to grace the heavens!" Freeman said with mock seduction, "We toast to The Nomad!"

"To The Nomad!" his two friends laughed, clinking their imaginary glasses just as the countdown reached zero. The old Rock called in one last time as the ships engines roared to life.

"Good luck Nomad, and Godspeed."

* * *

The stars were everywhere. They twinkled and glistened and shined and glowed, lighting up the heavens with their stellar beauty. Freeman could hardly breathe. All his life he had been waiting for this moment. These same stars that he had looked up on as a child were surrounding him. They welcomed him into their celestial embrace. He felt something wrap itself around his waist and looked away for just a moment to see Hannah with her arm wrapped around him. They looked into each other's eyes for a fraction of a second before they turned their glance once more to the majestic sight ahead of them.

For once even Wilson was quiet. He had forgotten the absolute beauty that lay beyond Caprica's sky. His time in the Federation was always hectic and filled with duty. Wilson realized that he had never gotten a chance to really appreciate the beauty of space. Now his days would be relaxed and leisurely, without any formal responsibility or military training. He was a free man now, given the gift of rebirth from the stars themselves.

Hannah was filled with a rush of memories. Her entire childhood flashed before her, reminding her of the life she once spent in a great fleet. She was home again and there was no better feeling in the world. She looked over at Freeman's star struck gaze, understanding the importance of this moment for him. She wrapped her arm around his waist, shifting herself closer to him, to share in this moment with him. It took him a moment to realize her presence and when he looked down at her with those big eyes, filled with innocence and amazement, she couldn't help but feel her heart flutter in her chest, as old desires rose to the surface. Lucky for her, Freeman soon turned his gaze back to the window, and she was able to look away herself, the light blush that graced her face noticed only by the stars.

00000000000000

Soon after Hannah pulled away from Freeman and turned to address the two boys.

"I don't care how much experience the two of you have had with survival in space," she began, "but you both know that I have the most. Growing up in space, I learned a very simple lesson. You stand still and you die." She stood up straighter as she captured their attention. "We could be attacked anywhere and at any time, so we always need to be ready. Until we can reach a more populated area with more ships or a space station, we must always be on the alert. Now we discussed stopping by the nearby orbital station to find ourselves and engineer and look into purchasing some spare Tyllium fuel. Until we get there I want the both of you to be on full alert and treating this like a life or death scenario. You chumps got that?"

"Yes ma'am!" The two chumps mock saluted. The both shared a laugh as Hannah rolled her eyes. At least she could take things seriously.

"Now let's get serious," Freeman said once his laughter subsided. "I want the two of you stationed where you can be most effective. Wilson, since you served on a Federation ship before you must have had some experience with working the weapons systems."

"More than some, I was generally stationed there when I wasn't on security duty." Wilson said with pride.

"That's where I want you stationed then. Don't power up the weapons unless I issue yellow alert, and don't fire until a red alert. I don't want to draw excess power unless necessary and I don't want to make any enemies if possible."

"Understood Captain." Wilson replied. "I'll give the weapons systems a quick scan and send you a briefing on what kind of fire power we have aboard The Nomad."

"Get to it." Freeman said. Wilson quickly turned about and made his way down to weapons control. Freeman then turned to Hannah.

"I was on a civilian ship." She started, already knowing what he was about to ask her. "We didn't have any weapons and I was never the type of girl to be interested in machinery, but I did pick up a good deal of information about the shield systems that were aboard the ships of my fleet."

"Do you have any idea how to operate a Kestrel shield system?" Freeman questioned her.

"Are you kidding? The Kestrel class starship has some of the most user friendly controls. The Federation made it easy for their crew to learn the workings aboard this ship. Now if we were on, say, a Torus class ship, then we might have to go deeper into the schematics to figure out the most basic of defensive-"

"I get it." Freeman interrupted her, "You can work the Kestrel's shields. That's where I want you stationed."

"Will do Freeman!" She said with a smile on her face before twirling about to head to her new post. Freeman watched her go before looking back out the bridge window. He took one long glimpse before resigning himself to his own position. He sat down at the helm and brought up the ships navigational system. A half steering wheel unfolded itself from underneath the console in front of him, much to Freeman's surprise. Looking at the steering system, he mentally marked down all the basic functions, tilt up to raise the nose and tilt down to do the opposite. What turning the wheel did was obvious enough. Looking at the reverse side, he noticed two paddles, one on the left and one on the right. Sitting back in the chair he applied a very light pressure to the right paddle, and the ship began to slowly move forward.

"Good." He told himself, "I can fly a starship." He assumed the left paddle slowed the ship down and congratulated himself when he found that he was correct. Putting some of the reserve power into the engine, Freeman accelerated The Nomad to a faster sub-light speed, and pointed it towards the orbital space station off in the distance. He let go of the paddle, knowing that inertia would allow him to continue moving forward, leaving him to sit back and let physics do the work for him.

A light flashed on the console in front, informing him that the shields were up and operational. While the ship only bore one shield, it should be enough to protect it from small laser fire. Freeman made himself a mental reminder to congratulate Hannah on learning to operate the system so quickly.

* * *

Wilson looked around the weapon control room. When he served on a Kestrel in the Federation, it was usually full of people and outfitted with the most advanced weapons. This just seemed lonely and weak to him. There was no glory here, no power or honor. On a decommissioned Federation ship like this, the weapons were weak, suited for pirates not honest soldiers!

Wilson had to remind himself that he wasn't really a soldier. He served as a security guard on a Federation ship that guarded the border planets. Only sometimes had he worked in weapon control. The only time his ship had ever gotten any action was in the rescue of Hannah's fleet from the hands of a Rebel cruiser. Wilson had long resigned himself to believe that would be his one heroic moment and that he would live the rest of his life in mediocrity. Yet now he felt different. Like he could change all that, and make a true badass out of himself. He was a first mate now! This was no Federation ship any longer, he was free to travel the stars and see everything he could! Yes things were changing, and the three of them were finally about to start living.

Wilson headed over to the weapons console. The weapon system aboard the Kestrel was complex, but it could all be managed by someone who knew what they were doing, and Wilson did indeed know what he was doing. A quick scan of all existing hardware aboard the ship brought up schematics for a single Artemis missile as well as the Federation standard Burst Laser Mark II. Simple weapons systems, but when used right they could take out all but the most advanced ships on their own.

Writing up his report on the ships weapons, Wilson began looking around for the armory that he knew was nearby. He easily recognized the door but was frustrated when he found it locked, and no key around. Some fool had probably locked the door when the ship was being decommissioned, but forgot to leave it on the ship. Wilson sighed in defeat, brushing the dark bangs out of his eyes and made a note of this on his report to the Captain. A blue light flickered on overhead. Looking up at it he smiled.

"Shield light is on. It looked like Hannah wasn't just hot air when she said she knew how to operate the systems." Wilson smiled. Hannah had always gone on and on about how easy a starship's systems were, but shields were difficult. Knowing her she probably gave the Captain some excuse about how Kestrel shields are easy to operate. Wilson had tried working in shield control when he was with the Federation, but after seeing the degree of difficulty just maintain a shield was he gave up. As he finished writing up the official report he added in a side note about congratulating Hannah and exited weapon control to present his report up at the bridge.


	4. Where Do We Go from Here?

Chapter 3: Where do We Go from Here?

* * *

The sound of the intercom chimed out throughout the ship. Wilson looked up at the speaker along the top edge of the ships interior.

"Captain to crew," the sound of Freeman's mock captain voice came through clearly. "Captain to crew. Prepare to dock. We have reached the Caprican Orbital Space Station. Prepare to dock."

"It's not like you even have a crew yet!" Wilson shouted up to the speaker, knowing fully well that nobody would hear him. He could only take so much of Freeman's attitude. He only hoped that the initial joy of owning a starship would wear off and the whole thing would seem more mundane, but with Freeman that wasn't too likely.

Wilson continued his trudge up the bridge to hand in his report of the weapons bay. As he was passing by the Shield control room he paused to look inside. Seeing Hannah still finishing up her initial report of The Nomad's shield systems, he decided to wait for her. As Hannah continued to take readings of instruments and gauges Wilson leaned up against the wall, watching her work. She was calm and collected as she gazed at each reading, unlike down on Caprica. Wilson knew that she loved the stars, and he could tell she never fit in down on the planet.

When his unit had first brought her ship down to Caprica, all the survivors were temporarily put up in Federation funded apartments. As a serving member of the Federation forces, he was often stationed in these apartments. She was jumpy, shaky and nervous; she never really found a place to fit in. After they had become friends Hannah seemed to adjust, but Wilson knew better. She was always out of place and anxious to leave the planet.

Wilson sighed and walked up to her. She was still distracted by the machines so he bent down and whispered into her ear. "Hannah."

Hannah screamed and turned around, holding her incomplete report close to her chest. Wilson of course laughed at her reaction, it was just too hilarious.

"You asshole!" Hannah said with a friendly smile. "Don't scare me like that!" Wilson smirked as she tried to calm herself down after the shock.

"I couldn't miss such a wonderful opportunity. I've been standing here for the last couple of minutes and you never noticed me."

"That's because I'm actually doing my job," she said, hitting him lightly with the report. "I'm almost done. You want to wait on me a minute more?"

"Why not," Wilson said with a shrug, "Nothing better to do."

"Actually, there are plenty of things you could be doing." Hannah replied as she turned back to her work dialing in different commands on the console, "Handing in your report to Freeman, for example."

"He can wait." Wilson smiled, "I do have something important I need to ask you though."

"Ask away."

Wilson sighed. He straightened up and grew serious. "How are you feeling? And I don't mean that in a causal way. I want to know what's going through your mind." Hannah froze but didn't say anything. Wilson paused for a second before continuing, he knew this was going to be a very touchy subject for her.

"I was there Hannah. I saw what happened to your fleet, to your friends, your family. That was something most people never have to see in their life, much less experience. You haven't left Caprica since then, hell you haven't even left the ground. You won't fly anywhere and you haven't traveled to any of the sub-orbital cities, but here you are back in space again. You can't be so calm, so casual about everything. There must be something-"

"I'm fine" Hannah said abruptly. "I'm fine."

"I know that's a lie." Wilson said putting his hand on her shoulder. "You can tell me what's—"

Hannah twirled around and slapped his hand away. "I'm fine Wilson. And I would appreciate it if you didn't mention this again. It was hard enough going through it once." She strode forward, forcing Wilson to step to the side. Without looking back Hannah continued her way out of the room and towards the bridge. Wilson sighed, she was definitely not fine.

* * *

Freeman looked two his two crewmen standing before him. They seemed a bit nervous, but he knew better to ask what had happened. Instead he just stood up and addressed them.

"As you know," he began, "This is the first time we've docked The Nomad, and it's going to be common until we get a transporter, so this is one of the few times that we all get to leave the ship. Enjoy this bit of shore leave."

"Can we even call this shore leave; we've hardly even been in space. Besides, the only reason we're docking is to refill the Tyllium reserves" Wilson chimed in.

"Shut up. Just roll with it." Freeman said. He sat back down at his chair and activated The Nomad's Off-Ship Radio. Searching through the list of communication frequencies he selected the one that broadcasted the Caprican Callsign and tuned into it. "Hailing Caprica Orbital Space Station, this is the Kestrel Class ship Nomad requesting permission to dock."

There was a heartbeat of static over the subspace communication before the space station's receiver was picked up. A woman's voice replied through the speaker, "Kestrel Class Nomad we read you, requesting information on your purpose."

Freeman held down the communication button then spoke back out, "To resupply Tyllium reserves and purchase any necessary food supplies." Releasing the button the three waited in silence for a reply. The pause this time was longer, almost thirty seconds before the response came through.

"Kestrel Class Nomad, your intent has been logged, report to docking bay 34. Caprica Orbital Space Station Out." The transmission was cut abruptly. Freeman simply shrugged before taking a hold of the ship's controls to guide it towards his assigned station.

"Tight security." Wilson commented. Hannah chuckled.

"You should have seen what it was like trying to get an entire fleet to dock. Small stations never had enough operators to coordinate the whole thing and it would take considerable time on some of the larger stations too."

"I can't imagine that." Wilson replied as Freeman steered the bow of the ship towards the assigned docking bay. "Just to see all those ships traveling in unison, it must have been incredible." Hannah shrugged.

"It was pretty mundane to me; living on a planet seems exotic when you spend your entire life Offworld. And don't tell me you never flew in a fleet in your Federation days."

"Yeah, but that was a bunch of well-trained military personnel. What you had was special, more magical. A bunch of people coming together to survive out in the great beyond." Wilson said theatrically. Hannah simply stared at him before breaking out laughing.

"My god, you dramatize everything don't you." The two of them laughed until a small jolt shook the ship. They looked down at Freeman just as he spun around in his chair.

"Hard seal complete, we've docked." Freeman said with a smile.

"Then what the hell are we still doing here," Wilson said, grabbing Freeman's arm and pulling him up and to his feet. "We've got a station to visit."

* * *

Registering doors opening

Scanning oncoming lifeforms

Humans identified, processing human language database

Initiating greeting protocol

The being sprang to life as it moved towards the approaching humanoids. The three carbon based life forms stopped as they were approached. Gears whirred as the thing came to a stop shortly before them.

"Greetings humans. I am R1L-3Y here to provide services. I am a service Engi here to show you around the Caprica Orbital Space Station. Requesting names." The machine spoke to them.

The big one and the female stood staring blankly at R1L-3Y, something he found very odd. Had they never seen an Engi before? The other one spoke up however.

"Um, yes." It started, "I am Freeman, captain of the Kestrel class ship, The Nomad. These are my crewmen, Wilson and Hannah."

"Acknowledged. Please follow me to Tyllium vendors." R1L-3Y responded before turning away, walking down on of the stations many corridors.

* * *

Freeman was amazed at the Engi's impeccable sense of direction. The Caprica Orbital Space Station was large enough to be seen from the surface of the planet, but R1L-3Y was managing to navigate the endless corridors without so much as a moment's pause to check his surroundings. Of course Freeman knew that the diagrams for the station were all stored away in the memory banks of the Engi but it still managed to baffle him.

As the group tuned down one hallway into a livelier hub of the station, Wilson moved closer up to Freeman and spoke to him softly, barely heard over the din of the station.

"What the hell is an Engi doing, serving on a Human based station? What were these people thinking letting one of those things on." Freeman was shocked; he had never know his friend to have such prejudices. "Come on man, you can't think that it shouldn't belong up here." Wilson continued.

"Are you joking?" Freeman asked, still not sure how to react to Wilson's former statement.

"Not at all. I saw what those things did when I was with the Federation. Their heartless death machines, the whole lot of them."

"Their sentient beings like us, they aren't programmed to destroy anything. That's a choice they make for themselves." Freeman retorted

"Freeman, they aren't like you and me, they don't feel, don't react to anything. They are cold heartless machines programmed for a single task." Wilson said, casting a quick glance up to their Engi guide.

"They have free will. What you saw was how they react in a time of war, that says nothing for their entire race. You can't just jump to conclusions about something as big as-"

"I can say whatever I want," Wilson said, cutting Freeman off, "and that, thing, won't even react." Wilson then jogged up to their guide before Freeman could stop him. Hannah saw what was going on and moved up to Freeman.

"What is going on?" She asked

"Wilson is about to make a complete ass of himself." He replied, hoping that Wilson's foolishness would cost them their only option for a navigator.

Wilson leaned in close to the Engi, from where Freeman stood he couldn't make out what the idiot was saying but he assumed that it wasn't good. After a few seconds, R1L-3Y stopped and turned to face Wilson. There was a smug look on Wilson's face, but that was soon wiped off when a strong right hook sent him crashing to the floor. Hannah's hands flew to her mouth as she gasped while Freeman simply looked on, trying not to feel like his friend had deserved it. The Engi turned to face Freeman and Hannah.

"It is not much farther until the Tyllium vendors, if the two of you will follow me, we will be there shortly." R1L-3Y said before continuing along his original path. Freeman and Hannah had to pick up their pace in order to catch up, casting a last glance back at Wilson as he sat massaging his sore jaw.

* * *

Freeman entered in the ID number of his docking station and began the refueling of The Nomad. It was a slow process, so while he waited he turned to face R1L-3Y.

"Listen," Freeman began, "Wilson is an idiot. I'm really sorry about what he said, but in no way, shape or form does it reflect the way that Hannah and I feel."

"I understand." R1L-3Y nodded, "I have come to understand that some humans have an irrational preference or dislike towards things. Whether it be nourishment or another race."

"It's something we can't help." Freeman smiled, "It's just part of human nature." It was then that Hannah decided to speak up.

"We're going to be here for a while, so why don't you tell us about yourself R1L-3Y." She started.

"What is there left to tell. I understand a basic anatomy course is taught in all education centers on Caprica." came the Engi's mechanical reply. Hannah shook her head and sighed.

"Not like that. Tell us your story, your history, your life." She corrected "Tell us what makes R1L-3Y tick." Hannah made a sour face, as if he words had offended her mouth. "But first of all, let's find a more personal name to call you. Something less robotic sounding."

"In the past I have been called 'Riley'. I assume this was derived from the look of my name." The Engi responded.

"Sounds fantastic," Freeman commented. "R1L-3Y takes too long to say anyways."

"I shall respond to Riley from now on." The newly dubbed Riley proclaimed, "But to answer the young lady's question, I was built in Deep Space Factory 37, orbiting the Engi Homeworld. I was built to specialize in space station maintenance and engine upkeep. For a long time I served on the Homeworld with the Hive Mind before I was transferred to the-"

A loud explosion cut Riley off. Immediately yellow emergency lights flared up and alarms began to blare. A second blast rattled the station, sending many people sprawling to the ground.

"What the hell is going on?" Hannah shouted above the clamor of the station.

"Presumably a Pirate attack or an assault by some remainder of the Rebel Fleet." Riley responded helping Hannah to her feet. Freeman grabbed onto the edge of the Tyllium vendor console, using it to pull himself up. He quickly ended the transfer of Tyllium, not bothering to pay in the emergency. He didn't have the time for that anymore.

"It doesn't matter what s going on." He yelled, "We have to get back to the ship right now." The three of them sprinted out of the hub, with Riley in the lead. As the group navigated the numerous corridors of the space station, they passed many fleeing faces, women, children, and aliens alike, all absolutely terrified.

The large hub that they had previously passed through was hit worst of all. Fires ravaged the room, uncontrolled, as desperate patrons tried and failed to extinguish the blazes. Close to them was a mother, desperately trying to get to her two children, separated from her by the raging inferno. Hannah turned away from the group, attempting to lend a hand to a family, separated by the flames.

"Hannah!" Freeman yelled, Riley turned back and halted as he saw Freeman chase down Hannah. He grabbed her and tugged her away from the distressed family.

"HANNAH, WE HAVE TO GO. NOW." Freeman yelled shaking her by the shoulders.

"I CAN HELP THEM," she cried "JUST LET ME HELP THEM." Hannah struggled to get away but Freeman kept his grip on her. She sobbed as he dragged her away from the family. Picking her up in his arms, Freeman ran back to Riley, and they both ran out of the hub as fast as they possibly could, trying to drown out the screams of others.

They sprinted down the sleek hallways, feet clanging on the metallic interior. A jet of flame burst out of one of the walls in front of Riley. The heat shocked the Engi, sending him falling backwards onto his robotic backside. His glowing green eye flashed in surprise, never had he witnessed this much damage to the station. Hoisting himself back up, Riley couldn't help but ponder if the station would survive such a brutal assault.

Riley and Freeman contiuned their mad dash, pushing past other refugees. As the two turned a corner, Freeman finaly recognized their location, they had reached the hangar dock. They might actualy make their way back to the ship. Suddenly Hannah shrieked.

"WILSON!" She bolted up, tearing herself out of Freeman's arms, "WHERE IS WILSON!" That statement struck Freeman like a lightning bolt; his closest friend was lost within the twisting corridors and hallways of the space station. Was he okay? Was he on his way back? Was he even alive? Freeman began to panic, he turned to Riley.

"Keep her safe!" he shouted, "If I'm not back in 30 minutes leave without me!" Riley stared back, no emotion evident in his glowing eye.

"You cannot be serious. This station is falling apart. We must leave now!" Riley responded, placing a hand on Hannah's shoulder as comfortingly as an Engi could.

"I can't just leave him here! He's my closest friend! We WILL NOT leave without him." Freeman didn't wait for an answer, turning around and sprinting down the closest hallway. The level of smoke within the corridors was becoming a real hazard; it burned at his throat and his eyes. He couldn't see, he couldn't call out, but he kept looking. Coughing, Freeman turned a corner, resting his hand against a wall to catch his breath. He hacked and wheezed so hard he almost threw up. As he had just recovered his breath a large explosion rocked the station. Freeman was sent sprawling to the ground, he looked up to see a large pipe that war riveted to the ceiling break free from its shackles.

"AAAUUUGH!" Freeman let out an ear piercing scream. He tried to bend up to see what had happened, but the immense pain kept him firmly planted on the floor. Freeman gritted his teeth and tried as hard as he could to tilt his head up just far enough to the extent of the damage. When he managed to, he felt all hope for survival vanish. The pipe had fallen to the ground on top of his leg, shattering it.

"HELP ME!" He cried out to no avail. He kept trying until the smoke had filled his lungs. He coughed and spat, desperate to get another last breath of fresh air. Freeman tried to scream for help again but couldn't make a sound. In his delirium, he found it ironic, to have just set out in space and to have died from smoke inhalation. As he lay back down giving into the urge to lie still and enjoy his last moments, Freeman thought about everything he could have been, all the wonderful things he could of done. His first stop Offworld and he was doomed to die. Another explosion devastated the side of the station, and Freeman knew that all hope was lost. He exhaled for the last time, waiting for the smoke to gently smother him and carry him into oblivion.

* * *

"Holy shit that stings" Wilson said planting himself down at one of the tables in what seemed like a cafeteria. The hustle and bustle of the station made his attempts to brood somewhat difficult. Engi weren't supposed to get angry; they were just machines without feelings. Wilson continued to rub his jaw as he thought about how his "friends" had just left him there, not even given him a hand up. It was absurd.

Wilson stood up, he had wandered his way throughout the station, getting himself completely lost. If only there was some sort of big "you are here" sign or a map. It was nearly impossible to make his way around without some sort of guide. Wilson smacked himself on the forehead; this was the age of technology for crying out loud!

Dialing into the space stations local Wi-Fi was simple enough. The link was secure and provided him with all the necessary information about his position, what could be found in different parts of the ship, as well as a built in guidance system. How convenient. Wilson took a moment to study the map, committing as much of it to memory as he possibly could, taking special care to mentally mark where The Nomad had been docked.

"There," Wilson said, shutting off the communicator, "That should do it, now I can take a look around." Wilson said smiling. First things first, find something to eat. Luckily he had already stumbled into the stations mess hall. It shouldn't be too hard to find something he could—

Wilson stumbled forward as the entire station rocked. That definitely wasn't supposed to happen. And the sight of the yellow alarms probably wasn't good either. Thinking fast, Wilson ducked down a corridor he knew would lead to the Tyllium vendors. If he was lucky, he might be able to catch up with the others and make it off before something really bad happened. The eruption of a steam vent from the wall beside him made him rethink those plans. No way was he jumping through a geyser of skin boiling steam; he could probably meet up with Freeman and Hannah another way.

Turning sharply, he headed down the way he came; he had not taken ten steps before he was met with a wave of people, all trying to get out the way he had just gone.

"It's cut off!" He shouted, trying to be heard above the chaos. "We can't go that way! Come on!" No matter how loud he tried to yell, in their states of panic, nobody listened.

"Follow me!" He tried again, "I know the way out!" Again nobody listened. Wilson gave up; they would have to learn the hard way. Pushing his way through the crowd he ran back through the cafeteria, not sparing a glance to look at the suffering around him. Without the time to check the communicator for his map, Wilson had to guess which way it was back to the ship. Picking what he thought to be the right corridor, he sprinted down, shoving past others as the ship continued to rattle and shake.

"Shit!" he cried out as a small explosion sent small shards of metal flying at him. They cut into the left side of his body, most of which pierced through his chest. The pain was excruciating, but he had to keep going if he wanted to survive. Wilson clutched at his chest with his right hand, applying pressure to slow the bleeding as he continued to run. Another large blast nearly knocked his feet out from under him, sending Wilson crashing into the wall. He managed to stay on his feet, but the level of smoke in the hallway was becoming dangerously high. Crouching down to access the breathable air, Wilson continued to trek his way through the ship's sleek, metallic corridors. He turned the corner to see a terrifying sight.

Before him lay his close friend, lying prostrate, crushed beneath the weight of an enormous pipe.

"FREEMAN!" Wilson shouted out in horror, there was no response. Wilson stumbled over to where his friend lay, unmoving and still. The beam had luckily missed the majority of him, only landing on his leg. Placing both hands underneath the enormous metal cylinder, Wilson heaved trying to lift it up. It was heavy, heavier than anything else he had ever lifted before. The amount of smoke in the hallway was at fatal levels, and Wilson knew that if he didn't get that pipe up soon, the both of them would be dead.

Taking what might be his last breath, Wilson bent over one last time, and began to lift. He strained against the immense weight. His knees popped and his back flamed up in pain. He couldn't do it. There was absolutely no way.

"Come on buddy! Let's get you out of here!" he shouted, the smoke making his voice hoarse and barley audible. Wilson had no idea what to do, hope was lost and Freeman was doomed to die.

And then, like a miracle, everything changed. Far on the other side of the station, a missile had managed to break through the hull of the ship and burst into the life support system, destroying it entirely. While this spelled death for everyone else aboard the ship, it was a blessing for Wilson.

When the life support went out, so did the gravity.

He would of shouted for joy if his lungs didn't feel like they were on fire. With what seemed like super human strength, Wilson threw the pipe off of Freeman. He hoisted his friend up over his shoulder and grabbed ahold of the nearest wall, preparing to shove off. Now that the life support was out, the oxygen and temperature would slowly bleed out into the emptiness of space, meaning he was on a timer. Pushing off the wall, he rocketed out of the corridor, into a less smoke filled portion of the station. Maneuvering his way around twists and turns he finally recognized where he was as he turned into the docking bay of The Nomad.


	5. Inhale

Chapter 4: Inhale

* * *

There was air.

That was all he could really focus on, the sweet refreshing taste of air.

It was smoky and charred but it didn't burn his lungs anymore

Praise be to air.

* * *

"We must leave!" Riley shouted, "It has been far longer than thirty minutes"

"We can wait longer! We have to wait longer!" Hannah panicked. "I won't let you leave without them!"

"There is a chance that they are no longer alive, and a very statistically good chance at that. If you want to save yourself, I suggest that we get on the ship." Riley said calmly, his green mechanical eye scanning the environment. Oxygen levels were dangerously low, with smoke filling up the vast majority of the volume in the docking bay.

"Hannah, the oxygen in the station is almost gone. If we stay much longer, we will die." Riley said "You are going to get on that ship right now, whether you like it or not."

"I can't just leave them alone! They might need our help!" She cried, "I have to go look for them!"

"Listen, you get on the ship, and I will wait here to help them if they show up," he said, opening up the airlock, "We can wait until the very last moment to leave."

Hannah began to protest but she was forcefully shoved inside by the Engi. She turned to confront Riley, but the mechanical man had already shut the airlock, locking it down from his end. He would keep her safe for as long as possible, but Riley knew that at some point he would have to flee as well. He prayed that they the two boys were safe, and not smothered by the endless grey blanket of smoke.

Another blast rocked the ruined station, causing Riley to stumble. Putting a hand against the wall to support himself, he thought about hopeless the situation looked. Statistically they should be dead, but Riley's faith never wavered. God had a plan for everyone, and He would protect the two of them.

Riley was sent flying down the hallway as the wall next to him ruptured, spitting fire like a raging beast. As he climbed to his feet, his far more sensitive Engi probes, detected a very distinct and horrifying sound.

The sound of a whistling wind.

They had torn through the hull.

Riley sprinted towards the airlock, he couldn't wait any longer. Soon all the air in the compartment would be vented out into empty space. Unlocking the airlock, he was able to feel the air in the compartment growing exponentially thinner. Just before he finished opening the hatch, another explosion shook the station, and then the most terrifying thing occurred. The gravity turned off.

"God save us all" Riley said as he began to panic. His sensors were going into overload, trying to calculate every possible outcome, every permutation, trying to discern the chances of survival. When he saw the final number, he wished he never calculated it. They were all going to die. Freeman and Wilson had about five more minutes before he would be forced to abandon the station, and judging by their unfamiliarity with the system of passageways through the station, it was a safe bet to not count on their return.

The loud groaning of the stations hull grew increasingly louder, but what caught Riley's attention wasn't the sounds of the ship, but the sound of someone's voice. Hearing down the chamber to his left, Riley magnetically locked himself onto the chrome plated floor of the station, and began his trek towards the source of the voices.

As he clanked his way to the end of the hallway, his hard drive was running in overdrive, the possibility of other survivors excited him. He wanted to save as many others as he could, but as Riley rounded the corner, it was not a stranger that stood before him, but two recognizable faces. Hanging, suspended in the air, not ten feet from him were the two men he had been waiting on.

"Hey Engi, this guy's hurt." Wilson began speaking, not recognizing the Engi in front of him. "My ship is just down the way, I need your help!"

"I am on it Mr. Wilson!" Riley said, clanking along the magnetically bound floor. Wilson looked at him, surprised, but Riley paid it no heed as he took ahold of the weightless bodies of both men. Without so much as the slightest warning, Riley jogged towards the air lock as fast as his magnetic attachments would permit him.

"Watch it machine!" Wilson said with contempt in his voice after almost careening into an extraneous valve lining the walls. "And be careful of Freeman, he's not doing so well!"

Riley let go of the two bodies, leaving the suspended in the weightless environment as he reached out to finish opening the airlock hatch. Wilson tried to pivot himself in the air, but with nothing to push off of, this was an impossible task. Riley decided not to say anything to the distressed man, hoping to prevent further conflict. As the hatch was finally unsealed he hurriedly tossed the two men through the doorway before heading in himself. Taking ahold of the inner latch, Riley forced the external airlock doors shut, and locking them in place. As soon as the door was sealed, the artificial gravity systems aboard the Nomad kicked in, dropping the bodies of Wilson and Freeman to the floor with a loud thud.

"Miss Hannah, this is Riley," the Engi said into the ship's intercom system. "I have both males aboard the ship. We need to jump as soon as possible."

"Are they okay?" came the panicked female's voice. "Are they hurt? Are they breathing? Are they-"

"Miss Hannah! Please!" Riley jumped in, cutting Hannah off. "We must depart immediately, before any injury is brought to this vessel! Plot a course for the next star system over, coordinates Two Four Five Mark Three Six!"

"Okay," came Hannah's shaky response. "I'm plotting the course now." There was a brief moment of static over the intercom before she spoke again.

"Got it. Preparing to jump, in three… two… one…Jump!"

* * *

What happened next was something no one could ever get use too. The tug at the pit of ones stomach. The stretching of space. The pausing of time. All in an instant, so immeasurably small yet so long and memorable. There was a saying amongst space mariners, "Nobody ever forgets a jump." The feeling of space distorting around you, as all of eternity stops, waiting for you to go forward, and then, with a flash of light, you're gone.

He remembered this one well. Not the sights or the sounds, but the feel. The true sense of fear and excitement all rolled together into one as his essence was thrown into the infinite abyss.

All he could do was focus on that one constant.

That one thing keeping him grounded, keeping him safe.

The air.

* * *

There was a jolt as The Nomad settled itself into empty space, lurching the crew forward as the jump completed. Hannah almost crashed into the command console. She had hurried, neglecting to brace herself for the inevitable jolt that followed every jump. None of this crossed her mind however as she could only think about one thing. Freeman and Wilson.

Abandoning the Navigation Room, she hurried through the ships main corridor, shoes pounding on the metallic floor. Rushing past the Shielding Bay and the Med Bay, Hannah rounded the corner, approaching the sealed airlock. Through the port hole she could see Riley hoisting Freeman over his chrome plated shoulder, the lone green Engi eye staring her down. Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.

Unlocking the inner airlock, she opened the doors. Without even a simple greeting, Riley hurried past her, entering through the automatic Med Bay doors. Seeing Wilson struggling to his feet, Hannah hurriedly went to him, gripping him by the forearm, and helping hoist him to his feet.

"What the hell happened to Freeman?" she asked, heart pounding in her chest. "He ran off to go look for you and didn't come back!" She was going into hysterics, as tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes.

"I-I'm not too sure," Wilson stuttered, fighting the nausea from the jump. "When everything started going to hell I was in some sort of commons aboard the station. The first blast took some time to comprehend. The people, they panicked. The lights were flashing, and the alarms… I tried to help them Hannah, but they just ran off, they-" Wilson choked up. He looked like he was about to break down. Hannah pulled him in close, hugging her dear friend.

"I just felt so helpless," He sobbed gently into her shoulder. "There were hundreds of them, running around like lost sheep. I couldn't save a single one. And then when I found Freeman..." Wilson paused again, letting out another quiet sob.

"Hey… hey…" Hannah whispered, gently stroking Wilsons back "you saved him, you brought him back to the ship."

"I wasn't going to be able to," Wilson said pulling away, "If the gravity hadn't gone out then we both would still be on that station. We would both be dead." He covered his face, trying to hide his tears. It was then that Hannah looked down and saw her crimson stained chest. Glancing at Wilson, she began to panic as she took heed of his lacerated chest.

"Wilson!" she bawled, grabbing his hand and rushing to the Med bay. "Your chest is all…"

Hannah's mind was in too big of a rush to ever finish that thought. Without even bothering to listen to whatever he had to say, she hurried Wilson through the Med Bay door, guiding him to one of the three operating tables aboard the ship. To her left Riley towered over another table, preventing her from seeing whatever physical state Freeman was in. Focusing on her own duties, Hannah assisted Wilson up onto the table. Sensing, a life form, the table automatically began to display a readout of his vital signs, projecting them on a holographic display.

"Hannah, you really don't need to-" Wilson began, clenching his eyes shut.

"Shut up and go to sleep," Hannah stated, cutting him off. Reaching up under the operating table, she fumbled around before grabbing onto an oxygen mask. Securing it firmly over Wilson's nose and mouth, the mask automatically activated. Hannah stood back as a steady supply of oxygen began to flow. She paused for a moment to double check Wilson's vital signs before switching on the nanobots.

The small, microscopic drones rushed through the oxygen tube and up into Wilson's respiratory system. The minuscule droids worked fast, knocking out their host, repairing lacerated tissue and mending bones to the best of their ability. The nanobots would expedite and keep Wilson healthy, but it put her on a schedule. Hannah had to take out whatever had caused Wilson's wounds before the skin healed over top.

Hannah briskly made her way towards the supply counter in the rear of the room, grabbing a pair of latex gloves from a box on the counter surface. She stretched them over her petite hands before opening up a cabinet below. Reaching into the storage space, she withdrew with a pair of medical scrubs. Not waiting to see if they fit or not, Hannah hurriedly threw on the medical garments. They were a bit baggy, she complained to herself as she walked back to Wilson. Staring at the dark red stain on his chest, she couldn't tell where his injuries were. The only option was to get rid of the clothing. The latex gloves gave her some difficulty as she struggled to unbutton his shirt. She eventually gave up and ripped it open, projecting the few remaining buttons into the air.

Hannah breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the extent of the damage. Most of the injuries were clean cuts, free of debris. There were, however, two small bits of shrapnel lodged in the left part of his chest, embedded in a rib. Hannah couldn't imagine the pain that Wilson must of gone through to get back, especially with Freeman in tow.

Oh no, Freeman

Hannah had completely forgotten about him. She didn't even get a clear picture of what happened to him.

"Come on Hannah, focus" She said to herself. "Wilson needs you."

She returned to the supply counter, rifling through all sorts of strange looking equipment before coming across a pair of forceps. Grabbing them she rushed back to Wilson's side and began the delicate process of extracting the extraneous metal shards.

* * *

It was done. The shrapnel was successfully extracted, and Wilson's recovery could begin. Hannah sighed, discarding her blooded scrubs and let the nanobots do their work. She turned to where Riley still stood, his mechanical frame looming over Freeman's body. She circled around Riley, hoping to get a better look at her injured friend, but she was unprepared for what lay before her.

His skin was charred, kissed by the infernal flames that had raged aboard the station. He was recognizable but it was a gruesome sight to behold. Hannah covered her mouth with her hands. The shock was too much for her.

Sensing her distress, Riley spoke up.

"The burns will all heal. The nanobots will fix it up nicely." The Engi said, his glowing eye never once looking up from the body before him.

"So… he's going to be okay?" Hannah asked meekly

"For the most part yes." Riley responded mechanically.

"What do you mean, 'For the most part'?" Hannah demanded, dropping her hands and gripping the sides of the table.

"I am worried about his leg." Riley gestured "The kneecap is shattered. The nanobots might not have enough left to but it back together."

Hannah didn't dare look. For something to be so destroyed that the nanobots wouldn't be able to mend it… the thought made her want to vomit.

"His kneecap?"

"Yes Miss Hannah, I'm afraid that Mr. Freeman may never fully recover. He may never walk again."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Hannah probed, "Anything at all?"

Riley looked up from the burnt body before him, angling his green eye skyward.

"All we can do now is pray."

* * *

The air was different now.

He couldn't put his finger on it, but something had changed.

The ashen hints in the air had vanished entirely, replaced by something clean, something pure.

The air was making him feel better again.

Not just feel better, he was physically better.

The air was fixing him.

* * *

Wilson struggled to open his eyes.

"Bright," he thought to himself, "too damn bright."

He weakly lifted his arm, covering his face and shielding his eyes form the blinding light. The last thing he remembered was being dragged into the Med Bay by Hannah. He assumed that was where he still was. While still blocking out the brilliant lights, Wilson used his free hand to feel across his chest, but he felt nothing. Sighing, he let his arm fall limp to his side. The shrapnel had been removed and the cuts had been sealed.

"Hey Freeman," Wilson called out, "You there man?" He was greeted by the sounds of machines humming and beeping, but not by his friend. Trying again, Wilson called back out.

"Freeman! You up yet?"

When no response returned, Wilson knew he was going to have to open his eyes and look for himself. He clenched his eyes shut as his hand left his face and felt around for the side of the operating table. Grabbing on to it, he swung his body around, letting his legs dangle over the precipice. Using both hands to prop himself up, he gingerly opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the harsh lights of the Med Bay.

For the first time, Wilson got a good look at Freeman. In his rush to remove the beam that had pinned his friend, he had skipped over all other injures, including the massive burns that now marred his skin.

"Holy shit…" Wilson said. Easing himself off the edge of the table, he cautiously made his way to Freeman's side. Wilson let out a small sigh of relief when he saw Freeman's life signs.

"At least you're stable man." He said, a weak smile creeping up on his face. "I wouldn't want to take your place as captain already. That would just be depressing."

Wilson chuckled a little, not expecting a response.

"And don't worry Freeman; Hannah put you on a real strong nanobot supply. You'll be up and out of bed in no time. You'll be back at the helm where you belong, bossing us around, pretending you're a real captain. And before you ask, I still won't call you sir. Even out of pity."

Wilson took a step back, leaning against the operating table behind him.

"You should have seen me on that station. I was so heroic." Wilson bragged, watching Freeman's pulse across the holographic display "I threw that beam off your leg like it was lighter than air, and no, that's not because the artificial gravity was destroyed, which it totally wasn't. I'm just super ripped."

He sighed again.

"There were others too you know. More people on the station. I… I tried to help them Freeman, I really did. But I couldn't save them. I honestly did try." Wilson said, feeling his emotions rising to the surface, "What else was I supposed to do man? They wouldn't listen, they just ran everywhere. I keep telling myself that you can't save them all, you know? That's what they told us in the Federation whenever we lost a ship, and I could get over it. I could move on. But it was so different this time."

Wilson stood back up and began circling Freeman.

"I was there. I saw their faces and I heard their screams." He confessed, trying to keep himself from crying, "And when I saw you…" Wilson choked back up, "I was just so scared man. I thought I was going to lose you. I'm lost without you and Hannah."

When he reached the foot of the bed, he stopped, staring at Freemans seared shut eyes.

"I need your help man. Please, wake up soon."

Wilson paused, not knowing what else to say as a lone tear trickled down his cheek. A few minutes passed, with the only sounds being the beeping of machinery and the raspy breathing of his maimed friend. Wilson hung his head, short black bangs falling across his forehead.

"I guess I'll come by later then." he whispered before turning away from his closest friend. Wilson walked to the Med Bay doors. They automatically opened themselves as he approached. As he was crossing the threshold a loud rasping breath cause him to turn his head back, his hopes peaking. However, nothing had changed for the burned man and Wilson left the Med Bay, the heavy metal doors sealing themselves shut behind him. Slowly he trudged his way towards the recreational room towards the rear of the ship, hoping to find Hannah there.

His boots rang against the chrome plated floors as he drew closer to his destination, shattering the silence with an echoing metallic melody that was left lingering eerily in the air after each step. Each step, another note. Each note, another haunting memory of all those he couldn't save. Wilson suddenly stopped in his tracks, grabbing the sides of his head and shaking vigorously.

"Snap out of it!" He told himself, "You have to be strong. Hannah is probably devastated. Be strong for her." Taking a moment to firm his resolve, Wilson continued his trek to the recreation room door. He stood before it, eagerly hitting the button to open. He paused in the doorway for a moment. It was there that he saw Hannah, and some_thing_ else.

It was that damned Engi.

"What the hell is that thing doing on this ship." Wilson loudly demanded, announcing his presence to the room.

"Wilson!" Hannah said with glee, "You're up!" She ran over to him, but stopped when she saw the stern look on his face.

"I said what the hell that thing is doing on this ship!" Wilson repeated, malice clear in his voice.

"Mr. Wilson, if I might introduce myself-" the Engi said, standing up as he spoke.

"Stay where you are," Wilson threatened, "Or I will dismantle you and flush you out and airlock before you can even compute what's happening."

"You will do no such thing!" Hannah declared, standing directly between Wilson and Riley, "You will show Riley some respect! If it were not for him, we would all be dead aboard the Caprican Space station! He was the one that saved you and Freeman! He gave us proper jump coordinates to escape! He's the one who's been caring for Freeman, because neither of us would be able too!"

"Engi don't 'care' for anyone. They have no conscious, no guilt." Wilson growled, never taking his eyes of the mechanical monstrosity that stood before him. Hannah gasped

"How dare you say that! Riley saved your ass even after how terribly you treated him on the station!" Hannah retorted, offended by Wilsons' prejudiced disposition. "I've already talked it over with Riley, and we decided that he will be staying with us whether you like it or not. And I'm sure that Freeman would agree with me too."

"You're making a big mistake Hannah, but I won't fight you on this." Wilson said before turning to the Engi, "And you, 'Riley' or whatever you've gotten her calling you. Know this, I don't like you, I don't trust you. And if I feel that you are a threat to this ship for even the slightest second, I will make good on my earlier promise." With that Wilson quickly left, letting the door slam behind him.

* * *

The encounter did not surprise Riley in the least. He had often come across a strong sense of hatred towards the Engi race, it was only natural. People often feared what they didn't understand or couldn't comprehend, but he forgave them. Bias towards machines was common, and the Engi had learned to live with it. They were taught to be above the evils in the world, so that they might someday achieve salvation.

Riley watched Hannah turn away from the door in a huff.

"I am so sorry Riley." She began, "I have no idea what's caused him to hate Engi so much."

"It is no matter," Riley replied sitting back down again "it hurts us yes, but we are taught to forgive, to see the good in others. I should be the one apologizing for striking him earlier. I am ashamed of myself for doing so."

"Wow." Hannah said, sitting down herself, "You are a kinder man than I. I would have slugged him again for what he said just now if I was in your position."

"God teaches us to forgive others; we must love unconditional to truly be good." Riley said, his lone eye glowing softly. It was this comment that made Hannah lean forward in her chair.

"There you go again, talking about a god." She said, staring at him intently

"Not a god Miss Hannah, God. The maker of all things. It is through Him that we find eternal salvation"

"How can the Engi believe in something like that?" Hannah inquired "Your race was built, not born."

"My beliefs are as equally ludicrous as your own gods Miss Hannah."

"But how can a machine look to some divine power?" Hannah queried, growing more confused with each passing minute. "You were built by another race long ago, you know exactly where you came from!"

"True, the ancients that built us were are builders, but not our makers. We were sculpted by the same hand that made them, the same hand that created all the beauty and wonder of this universe," Riley began. "God loves all and knows all; He was the guiding hand behind our design, showing His love for us from the moment of inception. And when we grow old and rust, we go to join Him in everlasting life. I know that this idea seems foreign to you Miss Hannah, but this is what I believe."

"I don't quite understand the logic behind it all, but who am I to judge you for your beliefs." Hannah smiled, "I wouldn't want anyone coming to attack the gods that I worship. I am deeply sorry if I offended you Riley."

"You have done no such thing Miss Hannah" Riley said, reaching out to rest a hand on her shoulder. "Now," he said, standing abruptly, "I believe you, Mr. Wilson and I need to come up with some form of plan until Mr. Freeman has recovered."

Hannah nodded in agreement.

"But first," she said as she rose to her feet, "I need you to take a look at our engine."


End file.
